Balance the Books/Noble Tune – Trainer Chad Brown sent his colts out for a 1 1/2m gallop Thursday in preparation for the $1 million Juvenile Turf.

Noble Tune has won both of his starts for Martin Schwartz and Dell Ridge Farm. The Unbridled’s Song colt won the Pilgrim at Belmont Park.

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Balance the Books showed quality during the summer at Saratoga with a win in the With Anticipation Stakes. His victory in the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland sent him to the Breeders’ Cup.

“He’s got two wins in three starts and both of his wins are in graded stakes,” Brown said. “So, for a 2-year-old grass horse you can’t do any better than that. He’s a very talented horse, as is Noble Tune, who is 2-for-2. They are very similar. Both horses are coming into the race in good shape.”

The charts show that Noble Tune has been a more convincing winner, but Brown said that the black-type on paper doesn’t tell the whole story.

“In fairness to Balance the Books, I think he’s been in situations with bigger fields with some challenging posts, particularly in the With Anticipation,” Brown said. “The Bourbon was a roughly run race. Balance the Books has been in trickier situations than the other horse. However, the other horse has been super impressive.

“You could dissect their short careers up to this point and their running styles, but at the end of the day, when you shake everything out, they end up right about on the line together for me. They have equal opportunity to win the race.

“There are positives and negatives to each horse’s races. But so far, these horses are both stakes-winning 2-year-olds already and I think they’ve done it the right way.”

Dundonnell – see European report

Fantastic Moon – see European report

George Vancouver/ Lines of Battle – see European report

Joha – The Mike Maker-trained Breeders’ Futurity winner stood in the gate and then galloped once around the Santa Anita main track Thursday.

Assistant Lazzaro Guerro remarked how different Joha, whom they call “Joe,” around the barn, is compared to the barn’s 2011 Juvenile winner Hansen.

“Hansen was a big nervous colt,” said Guerro. “This colt is very laid back.”